As she walked, a thought struck her: "Maybe I should check on Mom before heading home. I'd like to talk to her about what I've decided" . She changed direction, taking the route that led to the hospital.
The city was still vibrant at that hour. Businesses and shops were open, and people bustled about their day. Cars formed a steady convoy, occasionally halted by stop signs. Aurora moved through the organized chaos of the city, feeling both part of and separate from the flow of urban life.
After some time walking, she arrived at the hospital entrance and greeted the gatekeeper as she headed to the reception to sign in. With the formalities completed, she took the elevator to the fourth floor where her mother's room was located.
As she strolled down the corridor, she casually glanced outside, enjoying the view. It had been a long time since Aurora had felt truly happy, and like anyone else, she wanted to share her happiness with the person she cared for the most: her mother.
Just as she approached the door to her mother's room, Aurora noticed a dark silhouette inside. She thought, "Oh, it must be the doctor. I should talk to him and find out how she's doing. Knowing her, even at her worst, she'd tell me she's fine."
As she slid the door open slowly, she began to see the back of a man wearing a long, dark leather jacket, leaning towards her mother. "Why would a doctor be wearing black? Isn't that against protocol or something?" she thought as she started to walk towards the individual. Then she noticed - where's his stethoscope? Where's his equipment? Suddenly, like a thunderous realization, it hit her. This man is not a doctor. Panic surged through her, and she started to run towards him.
The man noticed Aurora charging towards him and turned his head slightly. Without acknowledging her presence, he turned back towards her mother and started to extend his hand towards her face. In that moment, Aurora collided with him, sending him stumbling towards the wall.
With her defenses raised to the max, she shouted intensely, "Who the hell are you, and what are you doing to my mother?"
As he leaned against the wall, a look of shock spread across his face. "This is impossible," he uttered. "How are you able to see me, let alone touch me?"
"I asked you a damn question!" shouted Aurora, her voice trembling with intensity. "Who are you and what are you doing in my mother's room?"
Completely ignoring Aurora, the man muttered to himself, "This should be impossible. No human should be able to see me, let alone touch me," he said, running his hand through his hair.
"No matter. I shouldn't let this disturb me from doing what I came here to do," the man said as he started to walk towards Aurora's mother.
"Stay back!" shouted Aurora, taking a Kung Fu stance. "I've watched all the Bruce Lee movies back to back, so you don't wanna mess with me, buddy," she added nervously, trying to mask her fear.
He continued to walk, ignoring Aurora's taunts.
"I mean it!" she shouted, slightly retreating towards the wall behind her. As the man got closer, she began reaching behind her with one arm, searching for the emergency button.
"Stay away from her!" Aurora's voice wavered, but her determination didn't falter. The man's eyes flickered with curiosity and frustration as he continued to advance, undeterred by her warnings.
Just as the man reached the bed, he extended his right arm towards Aurora's mother. In that moment, Aurora found the emergency button and pressed it. The alarm blared through the room, but she didn't hesitate. She quickly moved towards the man and grabbed his right arm with her left before he could reach her mother.
"Don't you dare touch her!" Aurora's grip tightened, her voice fierce with protectiveness.
In that very moment, the environment around them began to quake with tremors. Objects shook and fell, windows started to crack, and screams echoed from outside the room. Shouts of "Take cover!" and "It's an earthquake!" mixed with panicked screams.
"This can't be happening," the man uttered as he dropped to one knee, his face contorted in agony. Despite his pain, he didn't scream. Instead, he looked up at Aurora, who still held his hand, and gasped, "Just who the hell are you?" before suddenly collapsing on the floor.
Aurora, breathless and bewildered, stared down at the man, her heart racing. The room around her continued to shake, but she couldn't take her eyes off the mysterious intruder.
She dropped to her knees beside the man and started to shake him. "Hey, what's wrong with you? Are you okay?" she pleaded, continuing to shake him. "Why'd you collapse all of a sudden? Hey, wake up!" she said, her voice rising in desperation.
The man remained unresponsive, his body limp. Aurora's mind raced as she tried to figure out what to do next. The tremors continued to rattle the room, but she couldn't leave her mother or the mysterious man lying on the floor.
"Damn it, what the hell is going on today?" Aurora muttered, frustration and fear mingling in her voice. "I came here happy to talk to Mom, and now this happens. Why can't I catch a break? Of all the days for an earthquake, why today?" She glanced at the unconscious stranger on the floor, panic bubbling up. "Now there's an unconscious stranger in Mom's room. What am I supposed to do?"
Aurora's mind raced. She needed help, and fast. With a deep breath, she decided her first priority was to make sure her mother was safe. Then, she'd figure out what to do with the man who had collapsed. She turned towards the door, hoping the emergency responders would arrive soon.
Suddenly, it was quiet and calm. The shaking stopped. "Oh, that was quick," Aurora muttered, glancing around. Her eyes fell back on the unconscious man. "Still, why isn't this guy waking up? Wait, dude, why are you unconscious in the first place?"
She turned her attention to her mother, who was still peacefully asleep. "I'm surprised Mom slept through all that commotion. They must have given her something strong to help her rest." Aurora felt a wave of relief wash over her. "Anyway, I'm glad nothing happened, and I got here in time before this weirdo could do anything."
She sighed, looking at the man on the floor. "What now?" she whispered to herself, feeling the weight of the situation.
Suddenly, a realization struck Aurora, and she quickly rested her head against the man's chest. "Oh no," she uttered, "no, no, no, this can't be." She tore open the white shirt underneath his jacket and began CPR. "His heart's not beating," she said, panic rising in her voice.
"Did I... No, I didn't. Sure, I gave him a little shove earlier, but surely he's not so frail that he'd kick the bucket from that. He probably has some underlying condition I don't know about." Aurora's thoughts raced as she continued CPR. "Wait, why am I panicking? I don't know this man. He intruded in the first place, so I shouldn't be worried," she muttered, trying to convince herself while desperately attempting to revive him.
Just as Aurora was busy with CPR, the response medic team entered hurriedly with security guards in tow. "I pressed the button ages ago! What took you guys so long?" Aurora exclaimed, panic evident on her face as she continued the chest compressions.
"There was an earthquake," one nurse replied. "We had to help others on our way here. Luckily, there wasn't too much damage."
The doctor quickly assessed the situation. "Is your mother alright? Did she show any signs of seizures or anything out of the ordinary?"
"Yes, my mom's okay," Aurora confirmed.
"Who's that man on the floor?" one security guard asked, eyeing the unconscious figure with suspicion.
Aurora's mind raced. There's no way they'd believe me if I told them what happened exactly, she thought. Plus, if he does die, I wouldn't want to falsely implicate myself.
"I found him lying here when I came to visit my mother," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "So I pressed the button to get some help."
The doctor quickly got next to the man, checking his pulse and using her stethoscope to listen for a heartbeat. With a disappointed sigh, she uttered, "This man has unfortunately passed away. It's likely he suffered a cardiac arrest, and without immediate medical assistance, he didn't make it."
Aurora, her voice trembling, said, "But I did CPR."
"I know, dear, but sometimes even that can't help," the doctor replied gently.
Aurora thought to herself, "I need to cry to make this believable. They can't know the full story." In that moment, tears began streaming down her face. The doctor helped her to her feet and signaled the security guards to bring a stretcher for the body.
As they lifted the man onto the stretcher, Aurora took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "I just wanted to visit my mom," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
"It's okay," the doctor reassured her. "You did what you could. Let's focus on your mother now."
Aurora nodded, glancing back at the unconscious man one last time. She felt a mix of relief and confusion - relief that her mother was safe and confusion about the strange encounter. She hoped this would be the last of the day's surprises as she followed the doctor back to her mother's bedside.
Aurora sat beside her mother as the doctor verified if the medical equipment was still functioning properly. "Everything here seems to be working alright," the doctor said. "I'll need to check the other rooms to see if the earthquake caused any damage. Page me if anything happens."
The doctor left the room, and Aurora's mother slowly began to wake up. Her voice was faint as she asked, "What happened here?" She looked around at the mess in the room, her eyes wide with confusion.
Aurora sighed, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she replied, her voice tinged with exhaustion.
Her mother frowned, concern etched on her face. "Try me."
Aurora took a deep breath, contemplating how much to reveal. "There was... a man in here. I thought he was a doctor at first, but he wasn't. When I confronted him, things got chaotic, and then there was the earthquake. He... didn't make it."
Her mother reached out and took Aurora's hand. "Are you okay?"
Aurora nodded, squeezing her mother's hand gently. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just worried about you."
Her mother gave her a weak smile. "I'm okay, thanks to you. But this man... who was he?"
"I don't know," Aurora admitted. "But I think we should focus on getting you better. That's what matters right now."
Her mother nodded in agreement. "You're right. Thank you for being here."